Yeah, there’s that Werner Ikelos on my Ninja Trak again. Well, as I said it was the first time I’d used a Werner paddle for any length of time and I fell in love. Of course I like big high angle blades anyway, but the fact that the Ikelos is so light and boyant really sold me on the paddle. I don’t know the technical side, but it feels like more of your energy is connecting to the water and is not spent moving the paddle around. It feels a lot like my Novorca Greenland stick in that way. There is just something I love about the way an ultra light blade can move through the water. Something so graceful about it. Like a dance move, fencing, or martial arts. It’s just plain cool! So when I was asked about using a Werner for my PR trip, I was pretty excited to say the least.

I don’t know about you, but I have a special connection with my kayaks and paddles. These are the bits that you use every day. They are like your friends and you come to trust them. Changing gear can be hard. It’s like when Capitan Kirk got his new Enterprise and missed his old command chair! I’ve always used Lendal paddles and just holding something different felt strange for a bit. But in no time I was enamored. I felt like I could just tear it up on the water. Of course then there is that fun bit that Kelly Blades showed me; Paddle backwords, then let the Ikelos slip through the water. Put the high blade by your ear. . You can hear the water trickle past your blade!! For some reason the sound is amplified from the water blade, through the shaft and out the top blade. It’s very friggin cool! LOL! And you know me, I’m always turned on by those silly bits.

Now here’s a little secret. . I was not supposed to tell. . (well, not really) But Werner is making my Ikelos as a straight shaft, 4 piece. Yep, a 4 piece Werner! You can order them, but they have to be custom made, so it takes a bit longer.

So thanks to Kelly and Christie! Derrick’s paddling Werner. A new sensation!